2020 Undergraduate Courses
  • Students are to follow the requirements of the Handbook for the year they commenced the course.

    However, the subject links below do not contain the subject information for the current year. You can view current subject information through the new Course Handbook.

Bachelor of Sustainable Communities | 2020

Testamur Title of Degree:

 Bachelor of Sustainable Communities

Abbreviation:

 BSustCommunities

UOW Course Code:

 370

CRICOS Code:

 092391G

Total Credit Points:

 144

Duration:

 3 years full-time or part-time equivalent

Home Faculty:

 Faculty of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities

Intake Session(s):

 Autumn, Spring

Delivery Mode:

 On-Campus

Delivery Campus / UAC Code:

 Wollongong / 755255

Overview

Complex environmental, economic, societal challenges are confronting global communities and posing real uncertainty about our future pathways. Population growth, food, water and energy security, social and cultural inequality, climate change, environmental risks and resource depletion, economic instability, intensified urbanisation and emergent ‘smart’ technologies all suggest a volatile future. In light of this, communities, governments and organisations face the challenge-filled task of creating just and sustainable communities where environments are protected, equitable social and cultural relations can flourish and economic livelihoods can prosper. The focus on sustainable communities has never been stronger. Graduates with the skills to conceive of and activate solutions are much sought after across the public, private and community sectors.

UOW’s Bachelor of Sustainable Communities, offered through the Faculty of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities, is a multidisciplinary degree that provides the breadth of understanding necessary to appreciate these challenges and a range of skills needed to provide solutions for sustainable communities. You will study subjects from disciplines including Human Geography, Social Policy, Health and Society, Cultural Studies, Economics and Commerce, Science and Technology Studies, International Studies, Politics and History. You will acquire the knowledge to understand the complexity of challenges facing sustainable communities, and the skills and problem-solving abilities to help plan for, create and maintain them in a volatile world. You will have the opportunity to gain career-relevant skills in practical settings and for overseas study to investigate how other countries are seeking to create and maintain sustainable communities. The degree will position you to make a purposeful difference to creating a sustainable future. Our Sustainable Communities degree is taught by outstanding teachers and researchers. They feed their leading-edge research into their teaching and are passionate about the degree and the issues it addresses. The UOW’s Illawarra context provides an outstanding urban and regional living laboratory in which to explore the challenges of and solutions to sustainable communities.

Entry Requirements and Credit Arrangements

Information on academic and English language requirements, as well as eligibility for credit for prior learning, is available from the Course Finder.

Course Learning Outcomes

Course Learning Outcomes are statements of learning achievement that are expressed in terms of what the learner is expected to know, understand and be able to do upon completion of a course. Students graduating from this course will be able to:

CLO Description
1 Demonstrate that they possess knowledge, critical perspectives and understanding of ethical practice appropriate to the creation and maintenance of sustainable communities.
2 Integrate, a substantial, broad and coherent knowledge of social aspects of sustainability and an ability to apply that knowledge in support of communities, governments, organisations and other stakeholders.
3 Perform independently, collaboratively and cross-culturally with advanced skills in collecting, interpreting, integrating, analysing, critically evaluating, organizing and presenting knowledge and information.
4 Analyse unpredictable, complex problems, issues and situations; apply logical and critical thinking skills; and form evidence-based judgments regarding possible solutions.
5 Demonstrate high level communications skills and the ability to participate in constructive public and professional debate and engagement.
6 Demonstrate ethical, professional, public and personal conduct and capacity to reflect and direct own learning and practice.

 Course Structure

The Bachelor of Sustainable Communities requires the successful completion of at least 144 credit points, comprising:

  1. 96 credit points of core subjects; and
  2. a minor and 24 credit points of elective subjects, or
    48 credit points of elective subjects.

No more than 60 credit points of 100 level subjects shall be completed. 

Subject Code Subject Name Credit Points Session(s)
Year 1
Autumn Session
GEOG121 Life in a Globalising World 6 Autumn
ECON102 Economics and Society 6 Autumn, Spring
COMM101 Principles of Responsible Business 6 Autumn, Spring
Plus 6 credit points at 100-level from the recommended electives, General Schedule or a minor.
Spring Session
GEOG122 Living in a Material World 6 Spring
GEOG123 Indigenous Geographies: Questioning Country 6 Spring
HAS 121 Human Development in Social Context 6 Spring
Plus 6 credit points at 100-level from the recommended electives, General Schedule or a minor.
Year 2
Autumn Session
GEOG221 Population Geography: People, Place, Inequality 6 Autumn
GEOG241 Urban Geographies: Just and Sustainable Cities? 6 Autumn
HAS 200 Social Justice in a World of Inequality 6 Autumn
Plus 6 credit points at 200-level from the recommended electives, General Schedule or a minor.
Spring Session
GEOG222 Society and Environment: Resources, Challenges, Futures 6 Spring
GEOG224 The Future of Food: Resilience, Communities and Policy 6 Spring
HAS 202 Introduction to Social Policy 6 Spring
Plus 6 credit points at 200-level from the recommended electives, General Schedule or a minor.
Year 3
Autumn Session
GEOG336 Qualitative Research Design for Social Scientists 6 Autumn
GEOG338 Planning Urban Futures 6 Autumn
HAS 346 Social Advocacy 6 Autumn
Plus 6 credit points at 300-level from the recommended electives, General Schedule or minor.
Spring Session
GEOG337 Policy for Environmental and Heritage Management 6 Spring
Plus 18 credit points at 300-level from the recommended electives, General Schedule or a minor.

Minors

Minors are not compulsory in this degree, however students may choose to complete a minor from the following recommended list or from the General Schedule of Minors:

Electives

Elective subjects may be chosen from the recommended list below or from the General Schedule. General Schedule subjects recommended for this degree include subjects with the prefix HIST, ECON, SOC, STS, INTS, INDS, CST.

Recommended electives

Subject Code Subject Name Credit Points Session(s)
COMM121 Statistics for Business 6 Autumn, Spring, Summer
HAS 130 Social Determinants of Health 6 Autumn
MARK101 Marketing Principles 6 Autumn, Spring, Summer
PHYS154 Energy, Climate Change and Human Society 6 Autumn
POL 150 Government, Power and Political Systems 6 Autumn
PSYC123 Research Methods and Statistics 6 Spring
SCIE103 Climate Change 6 Spring
CRLP200 Career Ready Learning & Practice 6 Autumn, Spring, Summer
GEOG231 Maps and Apps for Social Scientists 6 Spring
GEOG251 Disaster Geographies: Risk, Policy, Management 6 Autumn
GEOG292 Social Science Research Internship 6 Autumn, Spring
HAS 261 Crime Prevention 6 Autumn
INTS200 Model United Nations 6 Autumn
INTS204 Global Aid and Development: Challenges and Prospects 6 Spring
PHIL226 Global Ethics 6 Spring
PHIL256 Environmental Philosophy: Animals, Nature and Ethics 6 Spring
POL 221 Australian Politics 6 Spring
STS 216 Environmental Sustainability, Risk and Governance 6 Spring
CST 371 Race and Place 6 Spring
GEOG335 Directed Studies in Geography and Sustainable Communities A 6 Autumn
GEOG339 Geographies of Change: International Fieldwork Intensive 6 Autumn, Spring
GEOG351 Directed Studies in Geography and Sustainable Communities B 6 Spring
GEOG352 Social Science Research Internship 6 Autumn, Spring
GEOG353 Qualitative GIS 6 Spring
GEOG354 Environmental Crime and Justice 6 Autumn

For information regarding timetables, tutorials, and classes please the visit the Timetables and Classes page.

Other Information

For further information email: askuow@uow.edu.au

Last reviewed: 22 July, 2020